The novel whodunnit approach ensures it will appeal to a wide audience, and once started, is difficult to put down. On a vital mission to bring those responsible to justice, prevent further murder and save a species, he uncovers a story full of twists, turns and uncomfortable truths about the trade-offs that exist between humans and wildlife. Also there were too many asterisks in the text with the explanation at the bottom of the page which got to me fairly quickly, Some of these were not related to the plot and again just puns.

Tom has written a thorough, but very readable assessment of the challenges posed by the 20th century and what we can do to help the hapless 'Hedgie'. They have some surprising fans – Moorhouse tells us that Dolly Parton is a fan of the hedgehogs of Kirtlington. Who or what is responsible for the disappearance of so many thousands of hedgehogs in recent decades? characterising the book will depict the author holding the encased last hedgehog in a glass jar crying out did we get the DNA? For those with an interest in endangered species, Tom Moorhouse's Ghosts in the Hedgerow: A Hedgehog Whoddunit is a caring, amiable guide to who (and what) is responsible for the worrying decline of this cute mammal.Tom Moorhouse is brilliant at weaving complex ecological ideas into an easily accessible and very entertaining form – Ghosts in the Hedgerow is a delight.

Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild, Being a Human and A Little Brown Sea A wonderfully entertaining and intriguing book.In other words, hedgehogs may have overcome each threat individually, but together they have caused a once abundant species to dwindle over time. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. His work has focussed on the conservation ecology of water voles, the management of signal crayfish, hedgehog conservation and the impacts of wildlife. He loves hiking up mountains, walking through woods, climbing on rocks and generally being weather-beaten outdoors.

The style comes with no lack of substance – the author is a respected academic and author of numerous scientific papers on wildlife conservation – everything here is backed up by solid science. By turns hilarious and heart-breaking, Ghosts in the Hedgerow is a triumph of accessible science writing. In the book’s ‘final thoughts’ chapter, those working with hedgehogs offer insight and advice for turning the tables.

So which one of them is responsible for this crime – and for the disappearance of many many thousands of hedgehogs in recent decades? So much more than a cuddly interpretation of the UK's favourite wild mammal snuffling through gardens, Ghosts in the Hedgerow is examines a wide range factors that affect hedgehogs in today's modern world.Tom Moorhouse sets out to investigate the evidence, and in seeking to discover the cause of this loss and how we save the species he uncovers a story full of twists, turns and uncomfortable truths about the trade-offs that exist between humans and wildlife.